Through using their majority and obscuring the language of a ballot initiative meant to eliminate gerrymandering, Ohio Republicans retained control over the state's redistricting process.
|
Listen To This Story
 |
Last month, a poll in Ohio indicated that 56.5 percent of Buckeye State voters supported a ballot initiative to take politics out of redistricting.
However, when voters went to the polls just a few weeks later, Issue 1, which aimed to achieve just that, was defeated by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent. So, what happened?
First and foremost, Ohio Republicans were working hard to protect their ability to rig congressional maps to their advantage.
From Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on down, GOP lawmakers knew that a more equitable distribution of the state’s congressional districts, as well as those for the state legislature, would likely net Democrats one or two seats in Congress and jeopardize the veto-proof majorities Republicans enjoy in Columbus.
While Donald Trump improved on his 2020 performance in the Buckeye State, he barely cleared 55 percent of the vote. However, Republicans won two-thirds of Ohio’s congressional seats and they hold 26 out of 33 state Senate seats, i.e., nearly 80 percent.
Especially that last number shows how much the GOP has abused its ability to draw partisan districts.
And Ohio Republicans also used their power to put a thumb on the scale to make sure Issue 1 would not pass.
As WhoWhatWhy reported, the GOP-controlled Ohio Ballot Board, backed up by the GOP-controlled Ohio Supreme Court, approved ballot language that obfuscated the intent of the amendment.
Instead of pointing out that it would take partisanship out of redistricting, it seemed to intentionally confuse voters into believing the opposite.
“The proposed amendment would: Repeal constitutional protections against gerrymandering approved by nearly three-quarters of Ohio electors participating in the statewide elections of 2015 and 2018, and eliminate the longstanding ability of Ohio citizens to hold their representatives accountable for establishing fair state legislative and congressional districts,” the language stated in part.
Election integrity activists, including former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican, sharply criticized how the GOP used its power to defeat the measure.
“It is clear that the millions of Ohioans who voted yes want to end gerrymandering,” she said. “And it is also clear that those who voted no thought that they were voting to end gerrymandering.”
O’Connor also blasted the “manipulated language on the ballot” and said Ohioans who wanted more representative districts “were duped.”
Ohio Democrats, who will now be forced to compete for power in the state with a hand tied behind their backs, were also highly critical of the GOP’s manipulation of the process.
“Power-hungry Republican politicians deceived voters, put deceptive language on the ballot, and outright lied to keep a grasp on their artificial legislative supermajorities,” said Democratic Leader Nickie Antonio, who vowed to fight on for fairer maps.
And State Sen. Bill DeMora (D) added that Tuesday was a “dark day for all Ohioans who wanted to live in a representative democracy.”
